April Fools
by Denisea
Summary: Lou and Jimmy have an assignment to deliver freight from Fort Kearney to Fort Laramie. But when they learn that their cargo is rifles, they know that every outlaw in the territory will be after them. Sequel to "Wounds", written before Season 3.
1. Chapter 1

_This is a sequel to "Wounds."_

April Fools

Kid came out of the bunkhouse and made a full turn to show off his new outfit to the other riders. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Ah like it, Kid," Lou said. "Makes ya look, ah dunno…taller."

Kid smiled at her. "Think so?"

Cody shook his head. "Seems to me a body don't need more than one shirt an' one pair o' pants."

Jimmy turned his bored gaze from Kid to Cody. "Look who's talkin', Mr. William F-for-Fashion Cody."

The argument that might have ensued was interrupted and stopped by Teaspoon, who approached the group and waved the letter he held in his hand to emphasize its importance. "Well, boys," the station master said, "ah need two volunteers."

"What for?" Cody asked.

"The Company needs someone to deliver a supply shipment from Fort Kearny to Fort Laramie."

"We didn't sign on to haul freight," Cody replied.

"Ya signed on to do wot ah tell ya to do. If this here letter from Russel, Majors, an Waddell says they want two o' you to pick up the shipment o' supplies, then that's wot you'll do."

"Can't the army do itself?"

Teaspoon shook his head. "Seems that this threat o' war is makin' the army short of men, an' they want the company to do it. So who wants to take it?"

The riders looked at each other, but none volunteered.

Teaspoon nodded. He'd expected nothing else. "Awl right, ah figgered it might come to this." He took off his hat, held it in the hand with the letter, then took out some folded pieces of paper from his shirt pocket. "Ah have here five pieces o' paper, an' two of 'em have marks on 'em. Whoever gits the marks goes."

"Lucky for Buck, he's on relay," Cody muttered.

"Kid?" Teaspoon said, holding out the hat to him. Kid drew a piece of paper and unfolded it, then showed it to the others. No 'X.'

"Lou?" Teaspoon said, holding the hat out to her. Lou drew her piece of paper and sighed as the 'X' revealed itself.

"That's one," Teaspoon declared. "Ike?"

Ike drew his paper, unfolded it, and showed it to the others. No 'X.'

"Yer turn, Jimmy," Teaspoon said, holding the hat out to Jimmy.

Jimmy drew a paper and peeked at it like he was hiding his hand in a card game. It was blank, but he gave a loud groan as if he'd drawn the other 'X.' "Never mind, Cody,"he said to the rider trying to look over his shoulder. He folded the paper back into its original position and tossed it back into the hat. "Looks like I got the other."

"That's two," Teaspoon said. "Ah forgot t' mention that there is extra pay to go along with this assignment."

"When do we leave?" Lou asked.

"Soon as you git yer stuff together. Shipment left St. Joe same time the letter did. It should reach Fort Kearny by the time you get there."

Lou glanced at Jimmy, who would have been her _last_ choice for a partner, and headed off to the bunkhouse.

..

Kid wanted to speak to Jimmy alone, but he didn't really get a chance until Jimmy went to hitch the wagon.

"Jimmy, I been thinkin'," Kid said. "If you'd rather not go, I'll take the assignment."

Jimmy glanced at him and continued working. "You know, Kid, if you wanted to volunteer, you shoulda done it before Teaspoon mentioned extra pay. I could use a few extra dollars."

Lou approached with an sack full of supplies she'd gotten from Rachel. She looked at Kid briefly before addressing Jimmy. "We better stop at Tompkins on the way an' pick up some more canned goods."

"Lou—" Kid said.

She looked at him.

He was at a loss of what to say, and in the end settled for, "Be careful."

"Ah will," she assured him.

Not quite as an afterthought, he turned to Jimmy. "You, too, Jimmy."

Jimmy grinned. "I'm _always_ careful."

Kid grunted and left. Jimmy watched him go and said, with mock sweetness, "Now wasn't that nice of him to see us off like 'at?"

Lou gave him look of annoyance as she tossed the sack onto the bed of the wagon.

..

It didn't take long for Jimmy to realize that Lou was in a foul mood. Even driving the wagon wasn't much of a distraction, as the ruts along the well-worn road pretty much kept the horses on course without use of the reins. He put up with Lou's sullenness for as long as he could, then couldn't stand it any longer.

"You're a damn fool," he told her.

Lou looked at him.

"Look, Lou, if you want 'im back, you should be…encouragin' him, not puttin' 'im off."

Lou knew Jimmy was talking about Kid. "It ain't your business," she told Jimmy.

"Bein' a man myself, I might be able to give you a few pointers," Jimmy offered.

"Ah _said_, it ain't your business." Lou repeated emphatically.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jimmy asked.

"No." Lou answered.

"You used to like talkin' with me," Jimmy pressed.

"That was before," Lou replied.

"Before the dance? How many times I gotta apologize, Lou? I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Lou looked at him, with eyebrows raised.

Jimmy sighed. "Well, maybe I did. But only 'cause I thought you were interested. So can we be friends again? We'll even talk about the Kid, if you like—an' that is a big sacrifice on my part."

Lou didn't want to talk about the Kid, or anybody, or anything, else, for that matter. "Jimmy…" she said, "shut up."

..

A couple hours later, Jimmy stopped the wagon and looked at Lou.

"You okay, Lou?" he asked. "Don't look like you're feelin' too well."

"Ah'm fine," Lou answered, annoyed.

"Stomach botherin' you?" Jimmy asked.

"If it is," Lou retorted, "it must be from lookin' at you all day. Why are we stoppin'?"

Jimmy jerked a thumb towards the brush, with a tilt of his head that indicated that nature was calling. "I gotta, uh, you know…"

"Ah might as well, too," Lou said. "Meet you back here in a few minutes."

Jimmy left to go into the bushes. Lou waited until he was well and truly gone, then reached for her things and pulled out what looked like a piece of old shirt.

..

Buck had just returned from his run and passed off to Cody. He went into the bunkhouse with the notion of doing nothing more than collapsing on his mattress. As he opened the door, Kid was buttoning a shirt.

"_Another_ new shirt?" Buck asked.

"They were two for a dollar," Kid replied.

"What happened to the old ones?"

"Gave 'em to Lou. She said she could use some old rags."

"What would Lou want with old ra—" Buck started to ask, then realized exactly why Lou, a girl, would need a supply of rags. "Oh."

Kid grinned at Buck's seemingly embarrassed reaction, tucked his shirt into his pants, and strode out of the bunkhouse.

..

Jimmy waited for what he thought was a reasonable enough time, then went hunting for Lou. She was using her foot to bury something made of shirt-cloth in the ground near a tree. "What are you doin'?" Jimmy asked.

Lou whirled at the sound of his voice. "Do you _mind_?" she asked.

"What are you buryin'?"

"None o' yer business!"

"You did that this mornin', too."

Lou stared at him. "You were _watchin'_?"

"No, I wasn't watchin'. Just curious what was takin' you so long, that's all."

Lou brushed past him to go back to the wagon. "If ya really want to know," she said dryly, "why don't ya go dig it up?"

Jimmy watched her go in confusion. The confusion was cleared up a moment later when a raccoon scurried over to the site Lou had been doing her business, and sniffed at the cloth. Jimmy smacked himself on the forehead and shook his head at his own stupidity. The fact that Lou dressed as a boy didn't change the fact that she still had a girl's body, even though she kept all her girl-ish business to herself.

..

At the campfire, Jimmy and Lou finished their meal of trail rations and coffee, and Jimmy decided to try to make up for his earlier blunder. "Lou, why don't you get some sleep. I'll take the watch tonight."

Dryly, Lou replied, "We ain't got nothin' to watch yet."

Jimmy sighed. "Why do you always have to spoil my gentlemanly intentions with the facts?"

..

The next day, although content to let Jimmy do all of the driving, Lou was as sullen as ever. It was putting Jimmy on the edge of madness.

"Ain't your—over with?" he asked.

"What?" Lou asked, uncomprehendingly.

"Your…female condition," Jimmy tried to explain.

"Ah will always be a female," Lou informed him.

"I mean, your _time_."

"Are you tryin' to send me to an early grave?" Lou asked.

Exasperated, Jimmy said, "Your _monthly_ time, Lou. Ain't it over with yet? This mood of yours is makin' me crazy."

Lou was incredulous that he would think her distaste for him had anything to do with her menstrual cycle. "If ah am in any kinda 'mood,' it's because ah'm stuck with a job ah really don't want, havin' to listen to some idiot blabbin' away about what kinda mood ah'm in."

Jimmy gave up. "Never mind," he said.

They were both silent for the rest of the day until they made their camp, and Jimmy decided to try one last time. "Nice evenin'," he said, conversationally.

Lou said nothing.

"We ought to be at Fort Kearny by tomorrow afternoon," Jimmy added.

Lou still said nothing.

"Feel like playin' cards?" Jimmy asked.

Finally, Lou responded. "No. Ah don't gamble."

Even though she had finally spoken to him, something inside Jimmy snapped, and he stood up suddenly, and threw his coffee cup to the ground angrily. "All right! That's it!"

Lou looked at him, utterly confused. "Huh?"

Jimmy gestured wildly. "I been as nice to you as I know how, the whole trip, an' you're still ignorin' me."

Lou shook her head. "Ah ain't ignorin' you. As hard as ah'm tryin', it's impossible."

"You still ain't forgive me yet for what happened at the dance."

"Hell, if that's all it takes to shut you up, ah forgive you, already."

Jimmy shook his head. "You _ain't_ forgive me, neither. Otherwise, you'd be talkin' to me."

"You wanna talk?" Lou asked.

"Yeah!" Jimmy shouted.

"What do you wanna talk about?"

"I dunno. Ain't you got any problems you'd like to talk over?"

"No."

"Well, what about the Kid?"

"That's none o' your business."

"See what I mean?" Jimmy said. "You're doin' it again!"

..

A while later, Lou looked up from her hand to her companion, studying him. "What're you holdin', Hickok?"

Jimmy grinned. Lou looked back down at her cards, a full house with low cards. She surreptitiously craned her neck to sneak a peek at Jimmy's hand, but he pulled it back against his chest. "Sorry, Lou. You know the rules. You wanna see 'em, you gotta pay for the privilege."

"You're bluffin'," Lou guessed.

"Maybe I am, an' maybe I ain't. There's only one way to find out."

Lou hesitated, then tossed a coin into the small pot between them. All right, there's mah nickel."

"Oooh, a high-stakes game." Jimmy tossed one of his coins into the pot. "There's your nickel…" he took another coin from the pile next to him, to throw that into the center as well. "…an' here's mine."

Lou sighed. "Ah fold."

"Oh, come on, Lou, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Mah 'cents of adventure' is about fifty cents less than it was an hour ago."

"You sure you wanna fold?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, ah'm sure.

"Just for the sake of argument, what've you got?"

She showed him her hand.

He grinned. "You shoulda stuck it out, Lou."

"Wh'ys that?"

He turned over his hand. "All I got's aces an eights." He swept the small pot toward himself.

Lou sighed. "This is why ah don't gamble," she told him.

..

It was dawn when Teaspoon returned to the station. Cody was back, and Noah was gone, the east-bound pouch having arrived sometime during the night. The others were just rising from their bunks when Teaspoon threw his reins over the hitching post and went into the bunkhouse. "Boys, we got a problem," he said.

"What's that?" Cody asked sleepily, from his bunk.

"There's some soldiers at the saloon in town. An' there's talk that the shipment Fort Laramie's expectin', is rifles."

"_What_?" Kid exclaimed.

"The letter from the company didn't say anything about rifles," Cody said, wide awake now.

"Hell, every two-bit outlaw in the territory'll be doggin' their tails," Teaspoon told them. "Which is why ah'm askin' for two volunteers to go after Lou an' Jimmy."

Kid, Ike, Cody, and Buck all raised their hands.

Teaspoon made a quick decision. "Kid an' Buck," he said. "The rest of you will have to double up on the runs while they're gone."

Kid and Buck quickly pulled their clothes on over their long-johns and ran to the barn to tack their horses, while Teaspoon put together a meager supply of trail rations. They'd have to ride hard and with minimal added weight if they were to have any hope of catching up to Lou and Jimmy. Lord, Lou and Jimmy would be sitting ducks.

"You think two more guns'll be enough?" Cody asked Teaspoon.

"Ah dunno, Cody. Ah hope so."


	2. Chapter 2

"April Fools" – Chapter Two

Fort Kearny, actually the second location to bear that name, was more of a town than a 'fort.' It was three miles, more or less, from a group of islands on the Platte river, three hundred and seventy miles west of Independence, Missouri, where various trails westward converged. It had been built as an actual fort, a square of buildings surrounding a parade ground, but the company it housed was small. It was mainly used as a way-station for travelers, and many small businesses had sprung up within and without its walls, catering to the needs of the westward-bound travelers. Many people passed through Fort Kearney, and not all of them were honest. Occasionally, outlaws watched the people, and supplies, that passed through Fort Kearny, in search of an easy mark.

Hearing rumors of a shipment of rifles, a small band of three men who preferred to try and find their fortunes the "easy" way gathered outside freight office. The leader's name was Johnson. The two others knew each other only by their first names: Jake and Hank. There were others in the group, awaiting their return, also first-namers: Bobby, Joe, Nate, and Frank. They were hard men, comfortable with whatever impulse came upon them, comfortable with murder.

Jake turned away from the window, his peering covered by the backs of his fellows. "The rifles are in there, all right. I can smell 'em."

"Why can't we just bust in an' take 'em?" Hank asked.

"Too many witnesses," Johnson the leader said. "Too many chances somethin' could go wrong."

"Then let's wait 'til dark," Hank said.

"No," Johnson said, "it's better to wait until they move 'em."

"What am I gonna tell the others?" Jake asked.

Johnson nodded, to himself. "Tell 'em we're just gonna sit tight for a while until the time is right.

(break)

Lou and Jimmy pulled up to the freight office. Lou jumped off the wagon to look at the "Closed" sign in the window. She squinted into the dirty glass, reached into her pocket for glasses and put them on, and looked again. Towards the back of the office, she could see some crates marked "BIBLES".

"Guess the office is closed 'til mornin'," Lou said. "Seems early, though."

"Well, I for one won't mind a hot supper and a warm bed. Tell you what, there's a restaurant up the street. I'll take the team to the livery while you go save us a table."

"Fine," Lou said. She started walking up the street, her attention momentarily distracted by Jimmy driving up, and didn't see the large man coming towards her, who deliberately veered into her path until he collided into her.

"Watch where you're goin'," Jake said.

"Sorry," Lou mumbled, deepening her voice as she did when she was in public. She went on her way, then paused as she saw the building with a cross and bell, marking it as a church. She hesitated, then went up to it and opened the door and looked inside. She recognized the interior instantly as Catholic. There was a confessional, with a few travelers waiting in line. She watched them for a few minutes, a kind of longing in her eyes, then turned to go.

Jimmy was there, at her shoulder. Apparently, all he'd had to do was hand the reins over to an attendant. "What's goin' on in there?" Jimmy asked.

Lou glanced at him, then nodded at the people in line. "Looks like confessional."

"What's that?"

"It's where you confess your sins to the priest." She turned away. Jimmy followed her.

"Well, you're Catholic, ain't ya?" Jimmy said.

"Was raiased to be one, anyway," Lou replied.

"Whyn't you go on in? I'll wait."

Lou continued walking away. "It's been almost six years since ah've been to confessional."

Jimmy studied her, grinning. "You mean to tell me you ain't committed a single sin in all that time?"

"No," Lou said. "Ah'm sayin' ah got no business in there, that's all."

(Break)

Lou and Jimmy were having dinner. Jimmy was obviously enjoying himself much more than Lou was, and ate with gusto, ordering seconds.

"Let me get this straight," Jimmy said. "I can go out an' commit any sin I want, go into this confess-it-all, tell the priest what I done, he resolves me—"

"_Ab_-solves you," Lou corrected.

"Whatever. I say a few "Hail Mary's." And then I can get into Heaven."

Lou inhaled deeply and raised her eyebrows in exhasperation. "Something like that," she said dryly.

Jimmy grinned. "Sounds like my kind o' religion."

"There's just one catch," Lou informed him.

"Oh, what's 'at?"

"Ya gotta be _sorry_ for what ya done."

(Break)

After they ate, they strolled over to the hotel. The desk clerk waited on them, and they told him what they wanted.

"Well, you're in luck," the clerk said. "I have exactly two rooms left—unless, of course, you want to share."

Jimmy glanced at her teasingly. "How 'bout it, Lou?"

Lou ignored Jimmy. "We'll take 'em both," she said to the clerk.

The clerk dipped his pen into the inkwell and poised his pen over his book. "Names?"

"Jimmy Hickok and Lou McCloud," Jimmy told him.

The clerk dutifully wrote the names in. As he wrote, he chatted amiably. "With this dance tonight, everybody's takin' up all my rooms."

Jimmy glanced at Lou again. "Dance?"

The clerk looked up. "April Fool's dance. Sort of a tradition around here."

When he looked back down at his book, Lou looked at Jimmy and said under her breath, "No."

"Just about everybody turns out for it," the clerk went on. "Nice way to meet some pretty girls."

Jimmy looked at Lou again.

She returned the look and mouthed "No," in repetition. To the clerk she said, "Could you set me up a hot bath in mah room? Lots o' towels."

"Good idea," the clerk said. "Get cleaned up for the ladies."

"There's only one lady ah want to get cleaned up for," Lou commented dryly.

"That's two dollars for each room, extra fifty cents for the bath."

Lou handed over the money for her room, looked at the room number on her key, flung her pack over her shoulder, and headed up the stairs before Jimmy could finish paying for his room. Jimmy added an extra fifty cents and ordered up a bath for himself, as well, then caught up to her easily.

"Aw, c'mon, Lou. Whyn't you wanna go?"

"For one thing," she told him, "ah didn't bring the appropriate clothing with me."

"There's gotta be somethin' open. Want me to pick somethin' out for ya?"

"No."

"Well…pick somethin' out for yourself, then.

"Ah ain't goin', Jimmy."

"C'mon, Lou, it'll be fun."

"Go without me, if you want. But ah ain't puttin' on a dress an' goin' out there."

"Why not?"

"'Cause somethin' always happens when ah wear a dress. Remember the last dance we went to?"

"No misunderstandin's. I promise."

"Forget it," Lou said. She put the key into her door, turned the lock, and looked at Jimmy.

"What?" Jimmy said.

"This is _mah_ room," she reminded him.

"Oh," Jimmy said. He went across the hall to his own room as Lou went into hers.

A short time later found Jimmy lying on his rented bed, bored almost to death. Finally he got up, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door.

He was looking for a dress shop. He found one, but as he started towards it, a mousy-looking man across the street caught his attention. The man stopped in front of the freight office, looked up and down the street as if fearful of something, then unlocked the door, disappeared inside, and closed the door again. Jimmy abandoned his goal for the time being, and went across the street to the freight office. He pounded on the door until the man came back to the door. Jimmy gave him the password, and was it relief Jimmy saw in the man's eyes as he opened the door?

(Break)

Jimmy was pounding on Lou's door. He was holding a package under one arm. "Lou, open up!" Jimmy yelled.

Lou opened the door. She was still covered in trail-dirt. Her feet were bare, her partially unbuttoned shirt was not tucked in, and she was obviously annoyed. "Can't ah even take a bath in peace?"

Jimmy took her by the arm and went with her back into the room. "We got a problem," he told her. He sat her down on the bed, put a finger on his lips to warn her to keep her reaction quiet, and gave her the bad news.

"_Rifles!_" she hissed.

"That's our freight."

"Nobody said nothin' about rifles!"

"Now, just relax, Lou, 'cause I got an idea."

Lou sighed. "So much for mah bath. Give me a couple minutes to get mah stuff together, an ah'll meet you over there."

"Hold it, Lou. We go haluin' stuff outta there this time of day—especially right before a big celebration—everybody's gonna know what we're up to. But with my plan, we drive outta here safe an' sound, with no one the wiser."

(Break)

Lou and Jimmy walked down the street together, as man and woman. Lou was wearing the dress Jimmy had bought for her, and Jimmy was wearing the 'Sunday' clothes he bought for himself. There were other couples on the street, as well, and the mood seemed festive. Jimmy noted how the men seemed to be escorting the women, and took her hand to pull it through his arm.

Lou shook her head and said quietly, "If this is all just some elaborate scheme of yours to get me to go to this dance—"

Jimmy replied just as quietly. "Lou, there are some things I kid around about, but haulin' rifles ain't one of them. Now smile, an' look like you're havin' a good time."

Lou gave an obviously fake smile. "How's this?"

"Well, it's a start, I suppose," Jimmy replied.

They followed the flow of the foot traffic into the interior of the square of buildings that was the fort. There was music playing, and many of the couples were already dancing. "Shall we?" Jimmy asked.

"Do ah gotta?"

"We got appearances to keep up."

She let him lead her through the dance.

(Break)

Jake and Bobby, two of the first-namers of the gang, were standing around, watching the dancers. "Nice o' these good people to throw us a party, ain't it?"

Jake smiled, revealing a few missing teeth and a general lack of oral hygiene. "I don't know about you, but I'm startin to feel all romantic inside."

"Johnson told us to lay low," Bobby reminded him.

"Hell, we gotta do _every_thing Johnson tells us? Jake asked, slapping Bobby on the arm with the back of his hand.

(Break)

The music finished. Jimmy twirled Lou out, and she laughed.

"Careful," he warned her. "You're startin' to have a good time."

"An' what if ah am?" she retorted.

"No need to get defensive about it. Just pointin' out that my company ain't all _that_ bad."

"Just remember your promise."

"How could you let me forget it?"

The music ended, and the band leader announced that the next dance would be a mixer. "Now remember," the band leader said, yelling to be heard over the small conversations, "when the music stops, partner up with the pretty little thing standin' in front of you."

Lou laughed as she was snatched by a woman in the line of women dancers. The women made a circle inside a circle made by the men. Jimmy joined the men's line. The women formed a circle facing outward and sashé'd counter-clockwise, and the men formed an outer circle facing inward and sashé'd clockwise. Lou kept an eye out for Jimmy. She passed him twice and was coming up on the third time when the music stopped. She smiled, thinking she would get him as her partner, but suddenly her hand was grabbed by a scruffy, gap-toothed man she'd have preferred not to get. "Howdy, ma'am. Looks like you an' me are partners," he said.

Lou covered her disappointment of not getting Jimmy, and courtsied politely. They started dancing, him pulling her a little closer than she really wanted. He was not a very good dancer, and Lou found herself looking for Jimmy, who was dancing with a middle-aged woman.

Her partner stepped on her foot. "Sorry," he said. "Ain't much used to dancin'."

Lou shrugged it off. "That's okay."

"Name's Jake."

"Lou—Louise."

"Would you mind if we just stood an' watched the rest of this one? I'd hate to squash those pretty little feet o' yours again."

Distractedly, Lou said, "Fine."

She let him lead her away from the dancers.

Jake studied her. "Ain't I seen you someplace before?"

Lou looked at him, really noticing him for the first time. With a start she remembered the bump encounter on the street outside the freight office, when she'd been dressed as a boy. She looked away. "No, ah don't think so."

"I'm sure I have," Jake said. He smiled suddenly, and Lou caught a whiff of his foul breath. "I know. You're one o' Miss Nellie's girls, ain't ya?"

"No. Ah ain't."

"Yeah, you are. I know I seen your face somewhere before. What are you doin' here? Tryin' to drum up a little business?"

"Ah told you. Ah ain't one o' 'Miss Nellie's Girls,' whoever she is." She started to leave, but Jake pulled her back.

"What's your hurry? Maybe you an' me could do a little business together."

"Ah ain't interested. 'Scuse me." She tried to leave again, but Jake was still holding onto her. She started to reach for her gun, but of course, it wasn't there. Just skirt fabric.

"Just want to have a little fun, is all, an' make you a little profit in the process."

Lou saw a figure approaching and let out a sigh of relief as she realized it was Jimmy.

"There you are, Lou," Jimmy said. "Oh, 'scuse me. Am I interruptin' somethin'?"

"Oh, no." Lou replied "Ah was just getting' back to the dance." She took his arm.

To Jake, Jimmy said, "My wife, she just loves to dance." He patted Lou's hand. "Don't you, darlin'?"

"Oh, ah just _adore_ dancin'," Lou exaggerated. "'Specially with _you_, darlin'."

Jimmy held out his hand to Jake. "Oh, 'scuse me. I'm forgettin' my manners. James Butler, Bible salesman. I see you've already met my wife Louise. Pretty thing, ain't she. Well, shall we get back to the dance, Lou?" Jimmy turned their backs to Jake and whispered to her under his breath as they walked away. "Don't you know better than to go off alone with that type?"

"Look who's talkin'," Lou retorted. She paused, then said, "Ah think he saw me when we first came into town."

"Don't worry about it," Jimmy said.

"But what if—"

"Would you relax? He ain't gonna recognize you."

Jake scowled as he rejoined Bobby at the edge of the dance. "Looks like you lost the bet," Bobby said.

"Hell, it ain't over yet," Jake replied.

(Break)

Jimmy and Lou walked up the stairs back to their rooms. Lou was laughing at Jimmy's recounting of an unfortunate—at least for the participants—incident that had happened. "Well, ah don't know about that," Lou said. "But when that other man fell into the horse trough, ah lost it. That was the funniest thing ah'd ever seen."

"Now, ya see, Lou?" Jimmy said. "Ya worse a dress for a whole evenin' an' nothin' happened."

Lou hesitated, then said, "Jimmy…thank you. Ah had a good time."

"Good enough to—" He nodded at the door to Lou's room.

Lou laughed. "No."

With an exaggerated sigh, Jimmy said, "I didn't think so."

"Ah'll see you in the mornin'," Lou said.

"Meet me in front o' the hotel at six-thirty sharp."

"Good night, Jimmy." She closed the door, then leaned against it for a moment, still smiling, before pushing away to get ready for bed.

(Break)

The sun was well on its way to rising. Jimmy hadn't expected there to be people about, but a number of travelers on the Oregon Trail were stirring to get an early start after spending what was probably their last night in a bed before reaching the Rocky Mountains and California.

Jimmy was still dressed in his 'Sunday' clothes, with no holster or visible gun. A worker at the freight office, thankfully more on the burly side than the office manager, loaded a last crate onto the wagon. Every crate had the word "BIBLES" stenciled on at least one side, some on two. Jimmy picked up an unpacked Bible which was laying on the back gate of the wagon before lifting the gate and securing it, and tucked it under one arm. "Good luck," said the helper.

"Thanks," Jimmy replied, and climbed up to the front. He drove off towards the hotel.

Lou was in her dress as she left the hotel. She saw Jimmy further up the street and gave him a little wave, and started walking toward him. Jimmy waved back, then tipped his hat at a man who wanted to cross the street, indicating that he would wait for him.

Lou didn't see Jake lurking in the shadows between two buildings until he grabbed her and pulled her into the alley, his hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream.

Jimmy didn't see Jake, either. All Jimmy knew was that when he looked up the street again, Lou had disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

"April Fools" – Chapter Three

Lou fought her attacker with all her strength, but he had the size advantage, and she was hindered by skirts, and her gun was packed away in the small carpet bag she had dropped when Jake grabbed her. She wasn't panicking, not yet, but knew that her chances of escape grew slimmer the further away from the street he dragged her. Finally, she managed to get a piece of his hand in her mouth, and clamped down on her teeth, hard.

"Ow!" Jake yelled, pulling his hand back. Lou took advantage of the momentary lapse to scream as loud as she could before the stifling hand clamped over her mouth again.

"What'd you go an' do that for?" Jake hissed angrily. Lou twisted, but his hold on her tightened. He reached for her skirt, and she tried to kick him as hard as she could, but he backed her against the side of the building. "Stop fightin'. I intend to make it worth your while." When he reached for her skirt again, Lou got her hand free and tried to ram his nose, but he pulled a knife from a sheath she hadn't seen and laid it across her throat. "Now," he said, "make a sound, an' it will be your last.' He took his hand from her mouth, and Lou stood there, breathing heavily. "I know I seen you before," he said. "If it weren't at Miss Nellie's, it were somewhere else. It don't make no never mind, I guess, but I don't think I'd forget a pretty little thing like you." He pressed up against her, and Lou turned her face away, unable to look at him.

Suddenly, there was a sound, and the hand that held the knife to her throat got knocked up and away. Lou slid down in the opposite direction, and there was a _whump!_ sound just before Jake collapsed on top of her. But then the weight was pulled off, and Jimmy was reaching a hand out to steady her.

"You all right?" Jimmy asked.

Mutely, she nodded.

Jimmy let her go, and opened the Bible he'd hit Jake with, to reveal a small pistol hidden in its cut-out pages. "I'd have shot him from back there, except I couldn't be sure what I'd hit." He cocked the hammer and aimed it at the now groaning Jake, but Lou called him off.

"Jimmy, no!" she hissed.

He stopped and looked at her.

"Nobody's gonna believe a gun-totin' Bible salesman," she whispered.

Jimmy sighed and put the gun back in its hiding place. He settled instead for clubbing Jake for a second time with the gun-weighted Bible, and picked up the knife to examine it. "Nice edge," he commented.

"Let's just go," Lou said, pulling his arm.

(Break)

Once they were well away from Fort Kearney, and it was clear that no one else was on the trail with them, Lou asked Jimmy if he would pull up.

"What for?" Jimmy wanted to know.

"Just do it," Lou replied. She grabbed her carpet bag and disappeared into the bushes. A short time later, she emerged, dressed in her boy's clothes, with her skirt and petticoat packed away in the carpet bag. She threw her carpet bag into the back of the wagon before climbing up. At least she had left her gun and holster off.

As she sat beside him, Jimmy looked at her. "You want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" she asked.

"'Bout what happened back there."

"Just a case of mistaken identity, is all."

"I ain't talkin' 'bout _him_, I'm talkin' 'bout _you_. That jackass reminds you of someone."

"You don't know nothin'."

"There's more than one reason why you dress as a boy an' carry a gun, ain't there?"

"If there is, it ain't your business."

"The Hell it ain't. You were—"

Lou interrupted him. "Don't say it." Raped. She even hated the sound of the word.

A moment later, Jimmy said, "Well, you _were,_ weren't you?"

Lou looked off for a moment before answering. "Yeah. Ah was."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"It ain't the sorta thing one likes to talk about."

"Might help."

She turned on him and glared. "What do you want me to say? That ah _enjoyed_ it? Well, ah didn't."

"I'm only tryin' to be friends, Lou."

She shook her head. "Ah ain't gonna dig up memories ah wish ah didn't have, just so _you_ can feel better."

They drove the whole day without talking, and stopped to make camp when the sun began setting. They had a quiet dinner of beans and hard tack, and spread their tucks on the ground by the campfire.

"Lou, you…get some rest. I'll take the watch tonight," Jimmy said.

"Suit yourself," she said, by which Jimmy took to mean she was grateful for the offer but didn't want to say 'Thank you.' She wrapped herself up in the roll and lay down facing away from him.

They stayed like that for a long time, Jimmy sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, staring into the flames, and Lou lying on the ground across the fire from him, her face turned away from him. Only the irregular pattern of her breathing gave away the fact that she wasn't sleeping. Eventually, so quietly that Jimmy almost couldn't hear her, she said his name. "Jimmy?"

Without looking at her, he replied, "Yeah?"

Still facing away, Lou asked quietly, "Do you…believe in all that Heaven an' Hell stuff?"

"I ain't sure, Lou. Do you?"

She rolled to face him. "Ah ain't sure, either. But ah reckon if there _is_ a Hell, you an' me are headed straight for it."

Finally, Jimmy looked at her. "How do you figure?"

"'Cause we're both killers."

Jimmy looked from her back to the fire again. "Lou, I never shot a man who didn't give me reason, an' I don't like bein' called a murderer."

After a moment, Lou said, "Sorry. Ah just thought… Sorry." She rolled away again. Jimmy looked back at her, and saw her wipe her eyes. He studied her for a moment, and his expression softened.

"So what makes you think _you're_ one?" he asked.

"It don't matter. Ah'm sorry for troublin' ya."

Jimmy threw a piece of wood into the flames. "You can't bring up somethin' like that an' then drop it. Did you kill somebody?"

Lou didn't answer. Jimmy stood up and walked around the fire to squat in front of her. "Was it the man who took you? Hell, nobody could blame you for _that_."

Lou turned away from him, towards the fire. "It ain't what you think, Jimmy."

"Men like that don't deserve to live."

"Jimmy…ah've wanted to kill him, but ah…ain't ever had the chance."

"So tell me who it is, an' _I'll_ do it."

"You still don't understand." Then, hesitantly, she asked, "If ah told you something, would you promise not to tell anyone—especially the Kid?"

"I promise," Jimmy said.

There was another long silence, and Jimmy thought Lou wasn't going to tell him after all, but then she said, "Sometimes ah…feel like ah gotta tell someone. An' ah guess you're the only one who would really understand." She stopped for a second. "You sure you wanna hear it?"

"If you wanna tell it, I wanna hear it," Jimmy said.

Hesitantly, Lou spoke. "Happened just after ah run off from the orphanage."

Jimmy sighed. "Lord, Lou, you were only—what? Thirteen?"

She nodded, still not looking at him. Ah was in St. Joe lookin' for some kinda work. This man…he talked to me like he was gonna help me find a job, only he led me out behind some buildin's, an he… He had a gun, an' ah didn't have so much as a knife with me. Ah knew that if ah screamed, he'd 'a shot me."

"Lou...if you think anybody's gonna blame you for that—"

"Ah ain't finished, Jimmy. Couple months later, ah found out ah was gonna have a baby."

Jimmy was taken by surprise. "You had a baby?"

"No. That's just it. Ah didn't. Ah didn't want no kid that weren't mah own doin', an' ah got to thinkin', too, 'bout how ah could take care of a young'un when ah was only thirteen mahself. Ah 'spose ah could've gone back to the orphanage, but ah didn't want the sisters to know."

Jimmy suddenly realized where she was leading. "Oh, Lou…"

"There was this woman," Lou went on. "A half-Injun. She said she could fix it so's the kid wouldn't feel a thing, an' it wouldn't hurt me none, either. So ah give her a coupla dollars, which was all the money ah had saved up by then, an' she took a knife to me. Only it weren't like she said it was gonna be. It hurt awful, an' ah remember ah was bleedin' purdy bad…"

Lou wiped her eyes, and Jimmy awkwardly tried to put his arms around her. "It's okay…" he murmured.

"There was a widow ah was stayin' with by then. Ah don't remember how ah made it back there, but she took one look at me an' send for the doctor. He come an' knew right away what happened. He told me…told me ah was purdy messed up, an' wasn't gonna be able to have no more kids…"

"Lou…" Jimmy said, unable to find any other words.

"When the widow found out what happened, she said ah could stay 'til ah was mended, an' then ah had to git. So that's when ah cut mah hair an' started workin' as a boy. It was easier to find work as a boy, too."

She fell silent for a moment, then suddenly rolled to face him and sat up, causing Jimmy to sit back on his heels. "Anyway, ya see why it would never 've worked out for me an' the Kid. He likes to do things proper, an' ah—Hell, ah killed an innocent child."

"Lou, no one could blame you for what happened. Why don't ya tell the Kid what happened, give 'im a chance."

"Jimmy…" she said, shaking her head. "A man like that—a _good_ man—wants a girl who can give 'im a family, raise his young'uns…"

"How do you know if ya don't ask?"

"You live in the bunkhouse. You hear the talk. Remember a little while back when Kid said how nice it would be to settle down, raise a family…?"

"Just talk."

"Did you see how he was smilin' when he said it? Ah cain't keep him from his dreams, Jimmy."

"What about _your_ dreams?"

"Just dreams. Nothin' more. An' no amount of wishin's gonna change it."

"You listen to me. That's nonsense."

She gave a little laugh. "You know, first time Kid an' ah…spent the night together, ah cried. Couldn't seem to help it. Kid thought it was…'cause it was the first time, you know?"

"And the truth was, 'cause it wasn't. Tell the Kid what happened, Lou."

"It wouldn't change anything. Ah always knew it wasn't gonna ever be right between us, but sometimes..ah couldn't help pretendin' for a while. Ah…just wish…" She wiped her eyes.

Awkwardly, Jimmy put his arms around her and pulled her against him. "Shhh…"

"Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't mean to—"

"Shhh… Just be still…"

(Break)

By the time the sun rose, they had ended up talking all night. But the topic had gone on to other things, and the mood was lighter than when they had laid down at their camp, making up for the lack of conversation that had characterized the entire day before.

Lou laughed as a sudden thought struck her. "Ah still ain't told you 'bout the time ah worked at a cat-house."

Jimmy hadn't thought that anything else Lou had to say could surprise him, but he was wrong. "What?"

"Ah lasted…oh, 'bout thirty minutes."

Jimmy smiled, anticipating a good story. "What happened?"

"Well, ah figgered as long as ah couldn't…you know…an' ah had to eat, so ah might as well find something' ah _could_ do. Only, it turned out ah couldn't do that, either. Ah ran out on mah first customer before we even reached the top of the stairs."

Jimmy laughed. "You didn't."

"Ah did."

"Hell, Lou, you shoulda taken the money first."

She chuckled. "Ah wish ah had." She looked around and suddenly noticed it was day. "Oh, Hell, we been talkin' all night, an' daylight's already burnin'. Ah don't want to carry these rifles one minute longer than ah have to. An' neither one of us got a wink o' sleep."

"I don't mind the lack of sleep," Jimmy told her, "but I agree with you on the rifles. Let's break camp and get a move on."

(break)

As Jimmy drove the wagon along the trail, the steady _thump-thump_ of the wheels going around made Lou start to doze, but then the sudden jerk of the wheels going over a bump woke her back up.

"Lou, I been thinkin'," Jimmy said.

"Uh oh. The world's in trouble now."

Jimmy ignored the good-natured barb and went on. "Just how sure was that doctor about your not havin' kids?"

"He was pretty sure, Jimmy."

"_Pretty_ sure?"

"Yeah."

"But 'pretty sure' don't mean 'abso_lute_ly sure,' right?

"Maybe not. But ah wouldn't go bettin' on it."

"Hell, Lou, that's my favorite kinda odds."

(break)

The day wore on, and as the sun began to sink into the horizon, they found a good place to make camp. They set up quickly, both stifling yawns.

"It's mah turn to take the watch," Lou said.

"I'll take it," Jimmy replied. "You didn't get any sleep last night."

"You didn't get any either, an' it was mah fault for keepin' you up."

"Oh, come on, Lou. Let me be a gentleman for once in my life."

Lou relented, tired and grateful. "All right, then you can have it. An' Jimmy?"

He looked at her.

"Thanks," she said.

(break)

When dawn broke, Lou was sound asleep on the ground, and Jimmy was sound asleep with his back up against a tree. The fire was mostly gone, with only a few dying embers producing any heat. A bird called for a mate from a branch above him, causing Jimmy to start awake and reach for his gun, but then the bird called again, and he holstered the weapon, rolling his eyes at his own stupidity. He yawned, stood up to stretch and yawned again. Then he looked at the nearly dead fire, put some fresh pieces of wood on it, then stirred the ashes to try to bring it back to life.

The movement caused Lou to wake, but she still lay on the ground with her eyes closed. "Is it mornin' again already?" she mumbled.

"Rise an' shine, Lou. Some of us have been up all night." Jimmy was afraid that the lack of fire would give away his lie, but somehow the wood caught.

Lou groaned and rolled over slowly. "Any trouble?"

"No, not a bit," Jimmy said, glad that the last part, at least, was true.

(break)

The day passed mostly in silence, not because anyone was mad at anyone else, but because they were pretty well talked out, and were still a bit tired from being still somewhat behind in there sleep. When it was getting near sunset, they stopped to make camp again. Jimmy nursed the campfire to life while Lou dumped more firewood nearby. "Ah'll go see what we can do for supper." She went into the wagon and began rummaging through the provisions, collecting some canned goods for their meal. Folded among the provisions was the dress Jimmy had bought back at Fort Kearney. Lou hesitated, then reached for it and smiled a little as she touched the fabric. She didn't see Jimmy, who had gotten a fair blaze going and was watching her from the flap at the back of the wagon.

"Whyn't ya go ahead and put it on?" Jimmy suggested.

Lou drew her hand away from the dress quickly. "Jimmy! Quit sneakin' up on me!"

"I ain't sneaking up on you. If I were, I wouldn't be talkin'." He nodded towards the dress. "Well, why don't ya?"

"Why don't _you_ mind your own business? You get the fire started yet?"

"Blazin like the pits of Hell. Go on, Lou. There''s no one here to know 'cept me."

"Every time ah wear a dress, somethin' bad happens."

"Oh, come on. What could happen way out here? Toss me those cans there, an' I'll work on the meal while you get changed."

Lou hesitated, then relented with a smile and a shake of her head as if she couldn't believe what she was doing. "Ah take no responsibility for whatever happens." She tossed the cans at Jimmy, who caught them neatly, and reached for the dress.

By the time she finished changing, the food was pretty much ready, too. Lou emerged from the interior of the wagon and prepared to jump down.

Jimmy abandoned the food. "Wait a minute, Lou!" He went over to the wagon and held out his hands. "Ladies ain't s'posed to jump down by themselves."

Lou laughed. "Pretty helpless lot, if ya ask me. An' ah ain't no lady, really."

"You're missin' the whole point, Lou. The only reason it's done is to give the men a chance to hold them in a socially acceptable manner." He helped her down and offered his arm. "Miss McCloud, would you care to join me for dinner?" He led her to a rock by the campfire and pretended to dust it off for her with a flourish.

With exaggerated manners, Lou lifted her skirt and sat, folding her hands demurely. "Why thank you, sir. Ah'm starved—ah mean, famished."

"Would you care to order?" Jimmy asked. "I understand the chef here is excellent."

"What's on the menu for this evenin'?

"Specialty for tonight is bacon an' beans, or beans an' bacon."

"Hmmm," Lous said, pretending to consider. "Ah think ah'll have the bacon an' beans. Ah don't suppose there's a wine list?"

Jimmy reached for the coffee pot. "Well, we're all out of wine, but we do have hot coffee, brewed special for our special guests."

"The brown kind?" Lou asked

"Of course."

Jimmy smiled at her while he poured the coffee, and Lou broke the eye contact with a laugh. But then one of the horses tied at the edge of the clearing out of range of the firelight neighed nervously, and was joined by the other.

"Ah better check the horses," Lou said. She left, and Jimmy stirred the beans. A crunch of leaves told him when she was returning, and Jimmy didn't bother to look up. "Did ya see what's got 'em spooked?"

The voice that answered was not the one he was expecting, and when the outlaw named Johnson replied, "Sure did," Jimmy quickly started to go for his gun, but saw that Johnson already had his own gun pointed at Jimmy. "I wouldn't," Johnson told him.

Jimmy held his hands up away from his gun in a gesture of surrender, thinking he would take the outlaw when the other man closed the distance and reached to take Jimmy's gun from its holster, but Jimmy gave up that thought when he heard the sounds of struggle and Lou's muffled cries. He let Johnson take his gun without a fight.

The other outlaws joined Johnson and Jimmy in the clearing, one of them draggin Lou with his hand over her mouth. When he saw that silence was no longer needed, he removed his hand from Lou's mouth and gave her a shove that sent her tripping towards Jimmy, who caught her before she could fall into the fire.

"Lookee wot we got here," the outlaw named Hank said, looking at the pot of beans.

Johnson headed for the wagon, and Hank gave the beans a stir before turning his attention to Lou. "Well, well." Hank said. "Nice, cozy little fire and smell of good cookin' always makes me hungry. How 'bout it, missy? You hungry, too?" Hank reached for her, and Lou kneed him. The outlaw named Bobby grabbed Lou and twisted her arm up behind her back.

Johnson laughed from the wagon. "That's what you get for tryin' to eat your pie before your potatoes." He held up a couple of rifles. "Lokk what I found in a crate marked 'Bibles.' These look like Bibles to you?"

The outlaw named Jake grinned at Hank, who was still holding his crotch, and then looked at Lou. "You know, I always had a sweet-tooth. An' I never cared much for potatotees, anyway." Jake reached for Lou, and she tried to knee him as she had done with the other outlaw, but he caught her and pushed her leg back down. "Hold her down, Bobby."

Jimmy saw that most of the outlaws' attention was on Lou and launched himself at the weakest one, whom he figured to be Jake. He punched Jake and made a grab for the gun, but just as he got it, one of the other outlaws knocked him unconscious with the butt of a gun.


	4. Chapter 4

"April Fools" – Chapter Four

The outlaws were helping themselves to Lou's and Jimmy's dinner. They had bound the riders' hands behind their backs and roughly deposited them in front of a large boulder, which was where Jimmy found himself when he came to.

"Unnnhh…" he said, waking up.

"Welcome back," Lou said.

"You okay?" Jimmy asked, wincing.

"For the time bein'. They're savin' me for dessert." She returned to struggling against her bonds.

"I'm surprised they didn't kill me," Jimmy said.

"Don't get your hopes up. They just thought it'd be more fun to have you watch. I'm sure they'll get around to it, though."

"My head hurts. My nose itches, too."

"What are you complainin' for? Worse they'll do to you is shoot you. Damn dress. Ah _told_ ya."

"Don't worry, Lou. We'll get outta this."

Lou struggled harder with her ropes. "Somehow, ah'd have more confidence if we weren't both tied up like pigs for the slaughter."

Jimmy's expression became one of concentration as he tried to get his hands free.

A few minutes later, Jake finished his dinner and stood up. "I think I'm gonna have me a piece of pie."

"Don't eat the whole thing!" Johnson warned.

"Don't worry. There's plenty to go around."

He went over to where the riders were and leered at Lou. She struggled harder with the ropes, but to no avail. Jimmy's concentration became more intense.

Jake kneeled beside Lou and put one hand behind her neck. "Well, Missy, let's find out just what kinda pie you are." His other hand reached for her skirt. "Apple, or blueberry, or—"

Lou bit his wrist. Jake yelped and nursed his hand briefly. Jimmy was still concentrating.

From the fire, Johnson laughed. "More like _sour_ apple. The kind with a bite."

Jake looked back at the other outlaws. "My favorite kind!" He turned his attention back to Lou and slapped her. "That's for the tooth-marks. Now—" He reached for her skirt again. Jimmy's hands suddenly came free, and he made a lunge for Jake's gun. He got it, shot Jake with it, then grabbed Lou and pulled her behind the boulder as the other outlaws went for their own guns. Jimmy reached back quickly to grab the dead outlaw's knife as the one of the others took a shot at him. He returned the shot, but it was a miss.

"What the Hell—" Jimmy said, looking at the gun. "This thing don't shoot straight!"

Lou turned her back to him and held up her bound wrists, looking at him over her shoulder. "Cut me loose, will ya?"

Jimmy regarded her. "I dunno. I kinda like ya that way."

"Jimmy—"

"All right, all right."

He cut her loose, and Lou noticed his bleeding wrists. She looked up at him wordlessly.

"It's nothin'," he told her.

He peeked over the edge of the rock to take another shot—and hit a tree to the right of one of the outlaws. "Damn thing's pullin' off to the right! How do they expet me to shoot with a gun like this?"

"So aim _left_."

Jimmy looked at her. "Thank you for that _wonderful_ piece of advice." A shot hit nearby, and he grinned. "Told you we'd get out of it, didn't I?"

Lou knew better than to try to steal a glance at the outlaws, especially since she was unarmed. Instead she regarded him dryly. "We're out-numbered, out-gunned, no place to run, an' it's only a matter o' time before they kill us."

"Why do you always look at the _down_ side o' things?" Jimmy asked. He peeked back over the edge to look at the outlaws, but saw something else that caught his attention. The horses. They were bridled, but had no saddles. He motioned toward them. "Can you ride bareback?"

"Can a duck swim?" Lou retorted.

"Think you can make it to them horses if I cover you?"

"Ah ain't leavin' ya here."

"Hell, you prob'ly won't make it, anyway. 'Sides, worst they can do to me is shoot me, remember?"

Lou thought that over for a second. "You got a point." She turned away from Jimmy and started pulling off petticoats. Jimmy watched her until another shot hit nearby. He peeked over the edge of the rock to take aim.

"Aim _left_," Lou reminded him.

"I _am_," Jimmy retorted. He squeezed the trigger, and Hank fell. "Bull's eye!"

He turned his attention back to Lou as she got rid of the last of the petticoats and started gathering up her skirt. "I'm delighted you feel that way, Lou, but I really don't think—" he ducked lower when another near-miss ricocheted off the rock, "—that _now's_ the time."

Lou gave him a _look_ as she tied the skirt in a knot to keep it out of the way. When she was done tying, she crouched and held out her hand. "Give me that knife."

Jimmy gave it to her. "Ready?" he asked.

Lou nodded.

Jimmy peeked over the rock and whispered "Go!"

Lou ran for the horses as Jimmy squeezed off a shot, and Frank fell. The remaining outlaws were apparently not overly concerned with her escape attempt, and kept their attention on Jimmy, who had the gun. At least, they didn't shoot her. But Johnson pointed to one of the outlaws and then to Lou, and said, "Go get her, Nate."

Nate left, backing out towards the darkness, leaving only Johnson and Bobby.

Bobby had been keeping track of the shots, and knew how many bullets the late outlaw Jake's gun held. "He's only got one bullet left now. I'll circle around behind him." Bobby melted into the darkness, too, and Johnson fired off a shot to keep Jimmy's attention.

Lou was untying one of the horses with the knife in one hand, as the outlaw Nate grabbed her from behind. She whirled and stabbed, and Nate fell. Lou looked at him for a beat, then turned back to the horse. She slapped the already nervous animal to send it on its way without her, then looked back at the dead outlaw. She hesitated, then bent over and closed her eyes as she took the knife out.

Joe and Johnson looked at each other as they heard the sound of a horse galloping away.

"Sounds like she got away," Joe said.

"Don't worry, she can't do nothin'. Concentrate on the boy. You take him on the left, Joe. I'll take him on the right."

Jimmy looked over the edge of the boulder, searching the dark for a target.

From the hill behind him came the sound of a gun cocking, and Bobby's voice said, "Drop it."

Jimmy's reaction was to roll and come up shooting. The outlaw fell down the embankment, but landed too far away for Jimmy to be able to reach his weapon.

Johnson smiled and stood up, approaching Jimmy openly. "That's it, boy. You're all out. It's _my_ turn, now."

Jimmy pulled the trigger anyway, and was disappointed to hear an empty _click_. He closed his eyes for the inevitable and shuddered as a shot rang out. Then he opened his eyes to see Johnson falling, and turned around as Lou came out of the rocks from across the clearing. "This one shoots _straight._"

"I thought I tld you to get the Hell outta here."

"Since when have ah ever done what you told me?"

Jimmy grinned. "You got a point."

Lou looked around at the carnage in and around the clearing and shuddered. "Let's get the Hell outta here."

(break)

Kid fingered Lou's deserted petticoats as Buck came from behind the area where the horses had been tied. "There's another one back there with a knife wound. Looks like they gave a good accounting for themselves, anyway."

Kid indicated the petticoats. "What do you make of this?

Buck looked at it, and shrugged. "There's a dress back there in the bushes, too."

"Lou's?" Kid asked.

"Who else's? But what would she be doin' wearin' a skirt?"

Worried, Kid mused, "What do you suppose it means?"

"There's only one way to find out," Buck replied. "Tracks go off to the west."

"Toward Fort Laramie, anyway…" Kid said.

(break)

Jimmy pulled the horses to a halt and looked at Lou sitting next to him on the wagon. She was dressed in her "boy" clothes again. "You sure yer okay?" Jimmy asked.

"Fine," Lou said.

"You ain't hardly spoke since we left the camp."

"Ah'm fine. What're we stoppin' for? Sooner we get these rifles delivered, the sooner we'll be rid of 'em."

"The rifles can wait. Lou, what happened back there—most men ain't like that."

"Ah know."

"Don't judge all of us by the few."

"Ah never said ah would."

"So why'd you throw the dress away?"

"Cain't ride mah runs in a skirt."

"I thought you liked it."

"Got no use for it."

"Does everything gotta have a use? Can't a girl just keep somethin' 'cause ya like it?"

"A real girl, maybe."

"What the Hell is _that_ supposed to mean?

"You know what ah mean."

"No, I don't."

"You're gonna make me say it, ain't ya."

"Damn right."

Lou sighed, looking straight ahead. "The doctor said—"

Jimmy interrupted her. "What the doctor said don't make no difference."

Lou turned to him angrily. "The Hell it don't. Ah ain't no god for a man to want in a decent way, an' ah ain't gonna say yes to the other!" She glared at him for a moment, then looked away. "Can we go now? Please?"

"Look at me, Lou," Jimmy said.

She refused. He took her chin and gently turned her head to look at him. "You're the best damn girl I ever met. Once people start seein' you for what you are, you're gonna have men knockin' down your door with whatever kinda offers you want. _Decent_ men, Lou. Not the kinda trash we left back there."

She shook her head matter-of-factly. "Jimmy, a _decent_ man wants a girl who can raise a family an' act like a lady, not one who goes around stabbin' an' shootin' at outlaws."

Jimmy stared at her. "I can't believe you're feelin' guilty 'bout comin' back to save my life! Tell ya what, would ya feel any better if I found myself a cliff to jump off of?"

Lou smiled a little.

"Careful, face might crack," Jimmy warned. After a second, he said, "You know, Lou, you're right. A girl _wouldn't_ do what you did."

She looked at him, then turned away. "That's what ah been sayin'—"

Jimmy took her chin again and turned her back to face him. "But a _woman_ might…"

She looked at him, and after a second, he leaned over to kiss her gently. She hesitated, then closed her eyes. A moment later, he pulled back, and they looked at each other again. He started to lean in again, but this time, she pulled away.

"Ah'm sorry, Jimmy…"

"I'd never hurt you, Lou."

"No, but…ah'd hurt _you_."

Jimmy smiled. "How?"

Hesitantly, she told him. "Some night...when ah called out the Kid's name instead o' yours."

Jimmy looked away.

"Ah'm sorry, Jimmy."

"You're still in love with him," Jimmy realized.

"Ah know there ain't no hope for it, but just now…when you kissed me…ah couldn't help wishin' it was him."

"You're a damn fool," Jimmy told her.

"Ah know. Ah'm sorry…"

(Break)

A lieutenant ushered Kid and Buck inside the Captain's office at Fort Laramie, telling them, "The Captain will be with you in a minute," before leaving again.

Worried, Kid turned to Buck. "What do you think?"

"I think we should ask the Captain," Buck told him.

"First the petticoats, and then that dress…"

"Tracks came this way. That's all I know."

The door opened, and the Captain entered. "What can I do for you boys?"

Buck spoke up. "Captain, we're with the Pony Express. Two of our friends were sent here to deliver a cargo of rifles."

"Well, you just missed 'em," the Captain said. "They delivered their cargo and left, just a couple hours ago."

Kid looked over at Buck in relief.

"Come on, Kid," Buck said. "Maybe we can catch up with them before nightfall."

The Captain laughed suddenly. "You know, your friends are a couple of fools, haulin' those rifles all the way from Fort Kearney. I offered them a place to stay for the night, but they seemed anxious to get goin'. Especially after they heard the news."

"What news?" Kid asked.

"Ain't you heard, boy? Word reached us yesterday by way of the Pony Express. It's war now."

Kid and Buck looked at each other. "Come on, Buck," Kid said, moving toward the door.

"Don't be in such a hurry," the Captain said. "What with this war now goin' on, we can use all the fools we can get. Interested? I can have the papers drawn up in a minute…"

_Author's Note: The Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina._


End file.
